Conveyor system

ABSTRACT

A conveyor system for conveying a product comprises a first conveyor adjacent to a second conveyor via a junction, the conveying direction of the first conveyor near the junction is different from the conveying direction of the second conveyor near the junction. The first conveyor has a first conveying surface and the second conveyor has a second conveying surface for supporting the product thereon. The first conveyor describes at least a spiral path near the junction wherein a central axis extends at least substantially in vertical direction. A moving assembly is configured to move the product from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. The moving assembly comprises a push-out guide which makes a stroke for each product that passes, or comprises a guide configured such that products are guided automatically along the guide only upon the movement of the conveying surface of the first conveyor.

BACKGROUND

Aspects of the invention relates to a conveyor system for conveying atleast one product.

Conveyor systems in which the products are conveyed from a firstconveyor to a second conveyor are known in the art. At present thereappears to be a need for a conveyor system in which the first conveyoris provided with at least one outlet between a supply location and adischarge location of the first conveyor so as to be able to transferproducts to a next conveyor. This is desirable, for example, when afirst conveyor bridges a difference in height and products must leavethe first conveyor at different levels for being conveyed further by anext conveyor at each of said levels.

SUMMARY

This Summary and Abstract are provided to introduce some concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary and Abstract are not intended to identify keyfeatures or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor arethey intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of theclaimed subject matter. In addition, the description herein provided andthe claimed subject matter should not be interpreted as being directedto addressing any of the short-comings discussed in the Background.

A conveyor system for conveying at least one product, comprising atleast one first conveyor, which is adjacent to at least one secondconveyor via a junction, wherein the conveying direction of the firstconveyor near the junction is different from the conveying direction ofthe second conveyor near the junction. The first conveyor has a firstconveying surface and the second conveyor has a second conveying surfacefor supporting the product thereon. The orientation of the normal of apart of the first conveying surface adjacent to junction issubstantially different from that of the normal of a part of the secondconveying surface adjacent to the junction. A moving assembly isconfigured to move the product from the first conveyor to the secondconveyor, wherein the first conveyor describes an arcuate path at leastnear the junction.

Because of the mutually different conveying directions of the first andthe second conveyor, respectively, the products will not beautomatically moved from the first convey- or to the second conveyor,whilst the first and the second conveying surfaces do not properlyconnect on account of the mutually different directions of the normalsthereof, which may lead to products becoming unstable and possiblyfalling over at the junction. Because of the presence of the movingassembly, the products are forcedly moved from the first conveyor to thesecond conveyor, after which they can be conveyed further by the secondconveyor. The conveyor system thus provides a possibility of dischargingproducts from the first conveyor to another conveyor at severallocations along the conveying path of the first conveyor. The fact thatthe first conveyor describes an arcuate path at least near the junctiongives the designer a high degree of freedom in selecting the shape ofthe first conveyor.

The first conveyor may describe at least a spiral path near thejunction, with a central axis of the spiral first conveyor extending atleast substantially in vertical direction. These features result in afirst conveyor that bridges a difference in height, with the conveyorsystem being adapted to discharge products at different levels. Theadvantage of this embodiment is that a compact construction is provided.Moreover, the first conveyor can normally continue its conveyingmovement whilst discharging a product to the next conveyor. Thisprovides a major advantage in comparison with the use of elevators, forexample, as regards the bridging of the difference in height; the factis that elevators need to be stopped briefly in practice for placing aproduct on the next conveyor at a different vertical level. It is notedthat the bridging of the difference in height by means of a spiralconveyor may take place in upward direction as well as in downwarddirection.

The conveying direction of the second conveyor near the junction maycomprise a radial component relative to a central axis of the spiralfirst conveyor. The advantage of this embodiment is that on the one handthe transition area of the junction is compact and that on the otherhand the moving assembly only need to cover a limited distance formoving the products from the first conveyor to the second conveyor.

In an alternative embodiment, the conveying direction of the secondconveyor near the junction may be tangentially oriented relative to acentral axis of the spiral first conveyor. The advantage of this is thatthe direction of movement of products on the first conveyor is onlyslightly different from that of the second conveyor near the junction.As a result, the products need not be strongly decelerated in theircircumferential movement on the first conveyor in order to be moved tothe second conveyor.

A practical embodiment may comprise an intermediate form of theaforesaid radial and tangential connection of the second conveyor to thefirst conveyor.

The first and/or the second conveyor may comprise a number of conveyingelements extending substantially parallel to each other.

The parallel conveying elements of the second conveyor have theadvantage that they can be configured so that a better connectionbetween the first and the second conveyor can be realised, for exampleby varying the length of conveying elements of the second conveyor, thusminimising the gap that may be present between the first and the secondconveyor. The conveying elements may furthermore be positioned so thatthey jointly form a second conveying surface such that the two conveyingsurfaces are more contiguous. This means that, for example in the caseof a horizontally oriented conveying direction of the second conveyor,the conveying elements may extend only substantially parallel to eachother in top plan view.

The parallel conveying elements of the first conveyor have the advantagethat they make it possible to design a first conveyor to have a widefirst portion with several parallel conveying elements at the supply endand to move products from one element to the other element at pointsalong the conveying path located a predetermined distance away from saidsupply end, so that the first conveyor can have a reduced width from apoint further downstream of the supply end. The fact is that in practiceproducts will be discharged to the second conveyor, and possibly toseveral conveyors, so that downstream along the conveying path theconveying capacity of the first conveyor downstream may be smaller.

The moving assembly may be arranged so that the product is moved fromthe first conveyor to the second conveyor via the junction. It is alsoconceivable, however, for the product to be lifted over the junction bymeans of a transfer element, so that the transfer does not take placevia said junction.

The moving assembly may comprise a guide for guiding the product presenton the first conveyor near the junction to the second conveyor. This isa simple solution for moving the products from the first conveyor to thesecond conveyor. As a result of the movement of the conveying surface ofthe first conveyor, the product is automatically guided in the directionof the second conveyor along the guide.

In an embodiment, the guide is movable with respect to the firstconveyor. This feature makes it possible to move the guide at a desiredmoment, in such a manner that from that moment the products will or willnot be guided towards the second conveyor.

In an alternative embodiment the guide is a drivable guide. As a result,the products are conveyed to the second conveyor not only by thesupporting conveying surface of the first conveyor, but they are alsomoved in that direction by the actively driven guide. This appears toimprove the stability of some products during transport.

The guide may comprise an endless conveyor belt, which can be moved bymeans of an actuator. The conveyor belt may have an irregularly shapedsurface so as to provide an optimised engagement and displacement ofproducts being pushed against the conveyor belt by the first conveyor.Several embodiments of the actuator are possible. Activation of theactuator may for example take place by electric or hydraulic devices.

The junction may be provided with a supporting surface for bridging agap between the first conveying surface and the second conveyingsurface. The advantage of this is that small products cannot fallthrough the gap and that certain products cannot become unstable uponpassing the gap, which might lead to the products falling over. Thesupporting surface may be plate-shaped, but it might also be configuredas a roller surface.

The supporting surface can be configured so that the normal of the partof the supporting surface adjacent to the first conveyor has the sameorientation as the normal of the part of the first conveying surfaceadjacent to the supporting surface, and/or that the normal of the partof the supporting surface adjacent to the second conveyor has the sameorientation as the normal of the part of the second conveying surfaceadjacent to the supporting surface. The fact is that a gradual passagefrom the first conveying surface, via the junction, to the secondsupporting surface is effected in this way.

The normal of the part of the first conveying surface adjacent to thejunction may include an angle with the vertical. This means that thepart of the first conveying surface that is located near the junctiondoes not extend in horizontal direction. Such a situation occurs, forexample, when a spiral first conveyor is used, whilst a second conveyoris provided along the spiral path of the first conveyor, onto whichsecond conveyor products discharged from the first conveyor land. Whenthe products are discharged in the outward direction of the spiral insuch a situation, the products must therefore undergo a movement invertical direction on the part of the first conveying surface adjacentto the junction in order to be transferred to the second conveyor viasaid junction, for example. Such a movement may be facilitated by themoving assembly as described in the foregoing, for example.

The first conveyor and the second conveyor can take up a fixed positionrelative to each other, because it is not necessary to movecomparatively heavy conveyors with respect to each other in that case.Less energy is used in this way. In addition, time is gained, because itis not necessary to wait until the first and the second conveyor havebeen moved together to such an extent that products can be transferredto the second conveyor. It is also possible for the first and the secondconveyor to be fixed relative to the environment, of course. This alsomeans that in the situation in which the first and the second conveyortake up a fixed position relative to each other, the junction occupies afixed position relative to the two conveyors.

The moving assembly, too, may be disposed at a fixed position relativeto the first conveyor and/or the second conveyor. This means that themoving assembly is not movable with respect to the first and/or thesecond conveyor in that case. It is still possible in that case,however, for the moving assembly to be movable by themselves withrespect to the first and/or the second conveyor, as for exampleindicated in the foregoing for a drivable guide. In such an embodimentthe guide is moved with respect to the conveyors, to be true, but areference position of the moving assembly relative to which the guide ismoving remains in a fixed position.

An aspect of the invention also relates to a conveyor system forconveying at least one product, comprising a spiral first conveyorhaving a vertically extending central axis, wherein the first conveyorcomprises a number of conveying elements extending substantiallyparallel to each other, each conveying element comprising at least onesupply end for receiving the product and at least one discharge end fordischarging the product, whilst the discharge ends of the individualconveying elements are positioned at different vertical levels. In thisway products can leave the first conveyor at different levels. Thespiral conveyor is a compact solution for bridging a difference inheight, whilst the parallel conveying elements, which each describe aspiral path as well, make it possible for products to leave the conveyorat different levels, so that the discharge ends are positioned atdifferent levels. This leads to a system for vertical transport which ismore compact than, for example, a system comprising parallel elevatorsor parallel spiral conveyors each comprising a single conveying element.

The first conveyor may be arranged so that the conveying directions ofthe individual conveying elements are different from each other at thedischarge ends thereof. This embodiment has the advantage that theproduct can continue on its way in different directions after leavingthe first conveyor. In this way a large degree of freedom in thepositioning of, for example, subsequent discharge conveyors is created.

A moving assembly may be provided for moving the product from oneconveying element to the other conveying element. This makes itpossible, for example, to guide products onto a smaller number ofconveying elements at the downstream locations because products havealready been moved off in an upstream part.

An aspect of the invention is a conveyor system for conveying at leastone product, comprising at least one first conveyor, which is adjacentto at least one second conveyor via a junction. The conveying directionof the first conveyor near the junction is different from the conveyingdirection of the second conveyor near the junction. The first conveyorhas a first conveying surface and the second conveyor has a secondconveying surface for supporting the product thereon. The orientation ofthe normal of a part of the first conveying surface adjacent to junctionis substantially different from that of the normal of a part of thesecond conveying surface adjacent to the junction. A moving assembly isconfigured to move the product from the first conveyor to the secondconveyor, or vice versa, wherein the first conveyor describes an arcuatepath at least near the junction. The normal of the part of the firstconveying surface adjacent to junction has the same orientation as thenormal of a part of the second conveying surface adjacent to thejunction. In this embodiment the second conveying surface becomes atwisted surface in that it already has substantially the sameorientation near the junction as the part of the first conveying surfaceadjacent to the junction, whilst its orientation further away from thejunction is different therefrom. This enables the products to pass thejunction in a stable manner, whilst they can undergo a gradualorientation change on the second conveying surface.

The moving assembly may comprise a guide for guiding the product presenton the first conveyor near the junction to the second conveyor, whichguide can be moved via a translating movement by an actuator, whichactuator can be disposed on the side of the second conveyor relative tothe first conveyor. The advantage of this is that little space isrequired at the location of the first conveyor, for example for anactuator for driving the guide. This may be advantageous in particularif the first conveyor is a spiral conveyor.

In an alternative embodiment, the moving assembly may comprise a guidefor guiding the product present on the first conveyor near the junctionto the second conveyor, which guide can be moved from a non-guidingposition to a guiding position via a rotary movement about an axis ofrotation, in which guiding position of the axis of rotation is locatedon a side of the first conveyor that is located opposite the junction.In practice it has become apparent that this manner of positioningenables a rapid movement between the guiding position and thenon-guiding position.

An aspect of the invention also relates to a conveyor system for sortingproducts, comprising at least a first and a second conveying element,which first conveying element and which second conveying element extendat least partially parallel to each other in a spiral path, and a movingassembly for moving at least one product from the first conveyingelement to the second conveying element, which conveying elements can bedriven independently of each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention will be explained in more detail hereinafterwith reference to drawings, which are highly schematic representationsof embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a highly schematic top plan view of an embodiment of theconveyor system.

FIGS. 2-6 are views of a part of alternative embodiments of theembodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 a is a view corresponding to FIGS. 2-6 of an alternativeembodiment of the conveyor system, and FIG. 7 b is a side elevationalong the line VIIb-VIIb in FIG. 7 a.

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b, and 9 a and 9 b, are views corresponding to FIGS. 7 aand 7 b of alternative embodiments of the conveyor system, and FIG. 9 cis a top plan view of another alternative embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, in which an embodiment of themoving assembly is shown.

FIG. 11 a is a view corresponding to FIG. 10, in which an alternativeembodiment of the moving assembly is shown, and FIG. 11 b is a sectionalview along the line XIb-XIb in FIG. 11 a.

FIG. 12 a is a view corresponding to FIG. 10, in which an alternativeembodiment of the moving assembly is shown, and FIG. 12 b is a detailview of the area IIb in FIG. 12 a, in which various positions of themoving assembly are shown.

FIGS. 13-19 are views corresponding to FIG. 10, which show alternativeembodiments of the moving assembly with various configurations of thejunction between the first and the second conveyor.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a part of an embodiment of the conveyorsystem, in which an example of the first conveyor is shown.

FIG. 21 is a highly schematic side elevation of a part of an embodimentof the conveyor system, in which supply and discharge locations areshown to be present at various positions along the first conveyor.

FIG. 22 a is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theconveyor system, FIG. 22 b is a side elevation thereof, and FIG. 22 c isa top plan view thereof.

FIG. 23 is a view corresponding to FIG. 22 c of an alternativeembodiment thereof.

FIGS. 24 and 25 are views corresponding to FIG. 23, which show movingassembly in various positions thereof.

FIG. 26 is a view corresponding to FIG. 23, in which the transportationof preselected products is illustrated.

FIG. 27 is a view corresponding to FIG. 23 of an alternative embodimentthereof.

FIG. 28 is a top plan view of a conveyor system arranged as a sortingdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 schematically shows the basic principle of the conveyor system 1implemented in an embodiment of the invention. The conveyor system 1comprises a first conveyor 2 and a second conveyor 3. In the illustratedembodiment, the first conveyor 2 partially extends in a spiral path,which is circular in shape when seen from above. The second conveyor 3extends in the illustrated path. The first and the second conveyor 2, 3connect to each other via a junction 4. The junction 4 may be locatedanywhere along one of the windings of the spiral first conveyor 2. Theconveying direction of the first conveyor 2 near the junction 4 isdifferent from that of the second conveyor 3 near the junction 4. Theconveying direction is indicated by arrows in all the figures. FIG. 1shows that the first conveyor 2 describes an arcuate path near thejunction 4. The figure also shows a supply conveyor 5, which suppliesproducts to the first conveyor 2. In the embodiment that is shown inFIG. 1, the products move in upward direction via the spiral path, butmovement in downward direction is also possible, of course, see forexample FIG. 21. The supply conveyor 5 is not shown in FIGS. 2-10 forclarity.

The first conveyor 2 has a first conveying surface 6 and the secondconveyor 3 has a second conveying surface 7. The conveying surfaces 6, 7function to support products thereon. The conveying surface 6 of thefirst conveyor 2 comprises an endless belt made up of slats, which areinterconnected, for example by means of a chain. When slats are used,said slats are preferably supported by rollers in their radial directionso as to minimise the amount of friction that occurs in the spiralconveyor. The supporting surface 7 of the second convey- or 3 is forexample formed by the upper surface of an endless belt.

In FIG. 1 the second conveyor 3 is the only discharge conveyor betweenthe supply conveyor 5 and an end 8 of the spiral first conveyor 2. It isof course possible to connect sevseveral supply and discharge conveyorsto the spiral part of the first conveyor 2. This is illustrated in FIG.21.

The orientation of the normal of the part of the first conveying surface6 adjacent to the junction 4 is substantially different from that of thenormal of the part of the second conveying surface 7 adjacent to thejunction 4. As a result, the conveying surfaces 6, 7 on either side ofthe junction 4 do not connect smoothly, which might lead to instabilityof the products upon transfer of the products from the first conveyor 2to the second conveyor 3. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, forexample, the conveying surface 6 of the first conveyor 2 extends inupward direction at the location of the junction, as seen from thecentral axis of the spiral first conveyor 2, whilst the conveyingsurface 7 extends in horizontal direction.

The conveyor system further comprises a moving assembly for changing thedirection of movement of products present on the first conveyor 2, sothat said products will land on the second conveyor 3. This meritsattention in particular when a spiral first conveyor 2 is used, in whichcase the conveying surface 6 will generally have a relatively highcoefficient of friction in order to prevent products from slidingsideways and/or against the conveying direction as a result of the forceof gravity. This is in particular the case when the central axis of thespiral is vertical, so that the part of the first conveying surface 6adjacent to the junction 4 includes an angle with the vertical. Themoving assembly will be discussed later on with reference to FIGS.10-19.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the conveyor system 1 in which theconveying direction of the second conveyor 3 near the junction 4 extendsradially relative to the central axis of the spiral path of the firstconveyor 2. This connection perpendicular to the circumferentialdirection has the advantage that it leads to a compact junction 4, seenin the circumferential direction of the spiral first conveyor 2. Thismeans, for example, that a transfer element for transferring theproducts from the first conveyor 2 to the second conveyor 3 only needsto make a small movement. This makes it possible to realise shorttransfer times. In addition, the products on the first conveyor 2 can beclosely spaced in that case, so that it can be decided for each productindividually whether or not said product must be transferred from thefirst conveyor 2 to the second conveyor 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the conveying direction of the secondconveyor 3 near the junction 4 is tangential relative to the centralaxis of the spiral path of the first conveyor 2. This type of connectionhas the advantage that the products being transferred from the firstconveyor 2 to the second conveyor 3 undergo a small change in direction,as a result of which the transfer can take place quickly and gradually.This embodiment is typically suitable for conveying products which arespaced closely together, because the distance to be covered by atransfer element when sorting out a single product is relatively long,so that it is necessary to maintain a wide spacing between the products.On the other hand it is possible to transfer a series of closely spacedproducts in one movement. The spacing between the products forming partof the series may be limited in that case, whilst the spacing betweentwo successive series must be somewhat wider.

FIG. 4 shows a spiral track, which does not extend around the centralaxis in a circular path, when seen from above, but rather in an ovalpath.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the second conveyor 3 comprises anumber of substantially parallel conveying elements 9. The conveyingelements 9 are narrow tracks, which jointly form the second conveyingsurface 7 on which products are supported. The advantage of usingseveral narrow conveying elements rather than one conveyor track is thatvariation of the length of the individual conveying elements 9 enablesthe second conveying surface 7 of the second conveyor 3 to follow thearcuate (seen from above) path without difficulty. In this way thedimension of a gap present between the first conveyor 2 and the secondconveyor 3 is kept within bounds. The conveying elements 9 may beendless conveyor belts, for example.

FIG. 5 furthermore shows that the second conveyor 3 extends neithercompletely radially nor completely tangentially away from the firstconveyor 2.

It is also conceivable for the first conveyor 2 to comprise severalsubstantially parallel conveying elements. The advantage of the use ofthe parallel conveying elements in the first conveyor 2 is that thismakes it possible to design the first conveyor 2 with a wide first partcomprising several parallel conveying elements at the supply end thereofand to transfer products from one element to another element at a pointalong the conveying path located some distance away from the supply end,so that the width of the first conveyor 2 could be reduced width from aposition further downstream of the supply end. The fact is that inpractice products will be disdischarged to the second conveyor 3, andpossibly to several conveyors, so that downstream thereof the capacityof the first conveyor 2 may be smaller. Alternative embodiments of thefirst conveyor 2 having parallel conveying elements will be discussedlater on.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 the parallel conveying elements 9 ofthe second conveyor 3 are tangentially oriented relative to the spiralfirst conveyor 2. Said figure also shows axes 10 of reversing rollers ofendless conveyor belts 9. The position of the axes 10 indicates that thespacing between the axes 10 of the reversing rollers varies with eachconveyor belt 9.

Since the two conveyors 2, 3 are different in shape near the junction 4,the junction 4 between the first conveyor 2 and the second conveyor 3does not exhibit a uniform width as seen in the circumferentialdirection of the first conveyor 2 near the junction 4. This might leadto instability of products when said products pass the junction 4.According to one embodiment of the invention, the junction 4 is for thatreason provided with a static closure or supporting surface, asillustrated in FIG. 7. This makes it possible to transfer also smallerand/or unstable products from the first conveyor 2 to the secondconveyor 3 via the junction 4. The supporting surface may be configuredas a plate, but it may also be a roller bed, so that products beingconveyed across the junction will experience less resistance.

The junction 4 in the form of a supporting surface may be so configuredthat the normal of the part of the supporting surface adjacent to thefirst conveyor 2 has the same orientation as the normal of the part ofthe first conveying surface 6 adjacent to the supporting surface, and/orthat the normal of the part of the supporting surface adjacent to thesecond conveyor 3 has the same orientation as the normal of the part ofthe second conveying surface 7 adjacent to the supporting surface. Inthis way a gradual transition from the first conveyor 2, via thejunction 4, to the second conveyor 3 is realised.

FIG. 8 a corresponds to FIG. 6, but FIG. 8 b is a side view of theembodiment of FIGS. 6 and 8 a, in which the reversing rollers of theindividual conveying elements 9 are shown. The orientation of theconveying elements 9 is such that the conveying surface 7 formed by thejoint conveying elements 9 extends substantially horizontally. This incontrast to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9. In this figure the narrowconveying elements 9 are oriented in such a manner relative to eachother that the second conveying surface 7 is a twisted surface so as toeffect a more gradual transition between the first conveying surface 6and the second conveying surface 7. Seen from above, the conveyingelements 9 still extend parallel to each other, but seen from the sidethey do not. The upper surfaces of the conveying elements 9 thus jointlyform the second conveying surface 7. At the location of the junction 4,the first conveying surface 6 and the second conveying surface 7 are atleast substantially in line. As shown in FIGS. 9 a and 9 b, thereversing rollers are positioned so that they follow the curvature ofthe arcuate path of the first conveyor 2 at the location of the junction4. As a result, the dimension of a gap that may be present between thefirst conveying surface 6 and the second conveying surface 7 at thelocation of the junction 4 will remain within bounds. In the case of avertically disposed spiral first conveyor 2, the reversing rollers thusfollow both the curvature of the path (seen from above) and thedifference in height (seen from the side). The conveying elements 9 maybe narrow belts or ropes.

FIG. 9 c shows an alternative embodiment, in which the second conveyor 3comprises an endless belt and a reversing element located near thejunction 4. The conveying direction of the belt changes at the locationof the reversing element. The reversing element can be a knife edge, areversing roller having a small diameter, a bar, or the like. The secondconveying surface 7 is formed by an upper surface of the conveyor belt.The reversing element is positioned so that at least a portion of a partof the upper surface of the conveyor belt adjacent to the junction 4 isat least substantially in line with the part of the first conveyingsurface 6 adjacent to the junction 4. If the arcuate path of the firstconveyor forms part of a spiral, the two conveying surfaces present oneither side of the junction will not be entirely in line in practice ifthe reversing element is rectilinear in shape.

In the embodiments shown in FIG. 9, the first and the second conveyingsurface 6, 7 have at least substantially the same normal or on eitherside of the junction 4, whilst the orientation of the normal of the partof the first conveying surface 6 adjacent to the junction 4 is differentfrom that of the normal of a part of the second conveying surface 7 thatis spaced from the junction 4 by some distance. This means that theconveying surface 7 is a twisted surface.

To move the products from the first conveyor 2 to the second conveyor 3,the conveyor system 1 is provided with a moving assembly, which movesthe products via the junction 4. FIGS. 10-20 show various embodiments ofthe conveyor system 1, in which the moving assembly are configured as aguide 11, which guides the product present on the first conveyor 2 nearthe junction 4 to the second conveyor 3.

FIG. 10 shows a guide 11 of simple design formed of an arcuate element.It is conceivable, however, for the guide 11 to be a flat plate. Theguide 11 is movable with respect to the first conveyor 2. In FIG. 10 themovement of the guide 11 is activated by a movable rod 13, which cantelescope from a cylinder 12 in this case. The movement of the guide 11can be effected in many ways, however, for example by means ofcompressed air, by means of a vacuum, electrically, magnetically, etc.The embodiment shown in this figure is typically suitable for use withsmall and light products, which can readily slide across the conveyingsurface 6 of the first conveyor 2 without falling over easily. Thepush-out guide 11 can make a stroke for each product that passes. Thisis typically suitable for use with relatively light-weight products, inconnection with the perpendicular path of movement the products need tofollow from the first conveyor 2 to the second conveyor 3.

For products that can slide less easily, the moving assembly may beconfigured as double moving assembly, as shown in FIG. 11. Theembodiment shown therein comprises a kind of flap belt 14, but manyother embodiments are conceivable as well. In this case the products aremoved from the first conveyor 2 onto the second conveyor 3 by means ofthe flap belt 14 that circulates above the first conveyor 2.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the moving assembly is configured asa pusher element 15, which can be driven via a kind of crank-connectingrod mechanism. The pusher element 15 makes a movement in the directionof the conveying direction of the second conveyor 3 and also moves intangential direction relative to the central axis of the spiral firstconveyor 2. The products present on the first conveyor 2 are thusgradually pushed in the direction of the second conveyor 3. In this waya stable manner of movement is realised.

The advantage of the moving assembly of the embodiments shown in FIGS.12 and 13 is that they do not make a return stroke. This makes itpossible for the products to be conveyed at a comparatively highvelocity by the conveyor system 1.

FIG. 13 shows an embodiment in which, similarly to FIG. 10, the guide 11can be moved in the outward direction of the spiral conveyor 2 by acylinder 12 via a rod 13. The guide 11 comprises a flexible plate, alongwhich the product present on the first conveyor 2 can be guided. Theguide 11 can be moved to the outer side of the first conveyor 2, forexample at the moment when a product being supplied arrives at the pivotpoint of the guide 11. In this way the product can be gently broughtinto contact with the guide 11 and be smoothly deflected in thedirection of the second conveyor 3. An arriving product will thus notbump against the guide 11. This makes it possible to realise hightransport velocities of the first conveyor 2. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 13, the guide 11 may also be formed by a drivable endless conveyorbelt similar to that illustrated in FIG. 14. In this way it is possibleto realise an even smoother transfer of the products from the firstconveyor 2 to the second conveyor 3.

The guide 11 shown in the embodiment of FIG. 14 is linearly movable inthe inward direction of the spiral first conveyor 2. The guide 11comprises a driven endless conveyor belt, whose reversing rollers rotateabout vertical axes. The vertical axes take up a fixed position relativeto each other. When the guide 11 is moved as a whole in the inwarddirection of the first conveyor 2, as indicated in dashed lines in FIG.14, the products are pushed against the guide 11 by the first conveyor 2and pulled along in the conveying direction of the second conveyor 3 bythe conveyor belt of the guide 11, which moves in the direction of thesecond conveyor 3. With some types of products, the conveyor belt neednot be driven for transferring the products. Think of light-weight,stable products generally exhibiting good shape stability, such as boxesand crates, in this connection.

FIG. 15 shows an embodiment in which the guide 11 is arcuate in shape.This guide 11, too, might comprise a driven endless conveyor belt.

If the guide 11 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 comprises a drivable endlessconveyor belt, which conveyor belt is a vertically oriented, it can bepreferable if the conveyor belt is wide. In this way a high wall of theguide 11 is created, so that the products are intercepted in a stablemanner.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show embodiments in which the guides 11 compriseelements that telescope in and out. In the case of FIG. 16, the secondconveyor 3 extends almost tangentially relative to the first conveyor,whilst in the case of FIG. 17 the second conveyor 3 extends fullytangentially from the first conveyor 2. As a result of the (nearly)tangential deflection of the products, the energy with which theproducts impact with the guide 11 is comparatively small in theseembodiments.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 18 strongly resembles the embodiment shownin FIG. 14, but in this embodiment the guide 11 extends tangentiallyrelative to the first conveyor 2. In the situation in which the guide 11comprises a driven endless conveyor belt, the reversing rollers take upa fixed position relative to each other in this embodiment and theconveyor belt telescopes out as an entire unit in the inward directionof the spiral first conveyor 2.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, the guide 11 is formed by anextensible endless conveyor belt. In this case the belt is moved bymovable reversing rollers 16. Said reversing rollers may be moved out byan actuator, for example via a telescoping mechanism. The reversingroller located closest to the first conveyor 2 can be moved intransverse direction over a conveyor track of the first conveyor 2. Theadvantage of this mechanism is that its moving mass is not very large.In addition, a product will not be pushed over easily during theretracting movement of the guide from said product, since the belt cancontinue to run while being retracted.

FIGS. 14-19 show that the guide 11 can translate from a non-guidingposition to a guiding position, which movement from the non-guidingposition to the guiding position takes place from the second conveyor 3to the first conveyor 2, or, in other words, in the direction of theinner side of the spiral. The advantage of this movement is that spaceis saved at the inner side of the spiral and that an actuator can beaccessed from outside more easily, for example for maintenance.

The actuator is located on the side of the second conveyor 3 relative tothe first conveyor 2, so that space is saved at the location of thefirst conveyor 2. The use of such a guide is not limited to the usethereof with a first conveyor and a second conveyor whose conveyingsurfaces located on two different sides of the junction have differentlyoriented normals. It is also possible to use the guide at the junctionbetween two random conveyors not having the same conveying direction atthe location of the junction. The conveying surfaces may lie in oneplane on either side of the junction, for example.

FIG. 20 shows an embodiment of the first conveyor 2 in a staticarrangement. This means that the first conveyor takes up a fixedposition relative to its surroundings, in this case the ground. Thereturn track of the spiral first conveyor 2 (in this case the downwardlymoving track) follows a different path than the part of the track onwhich products are conveyed (the spiral part).

All the embodiments of the conveyor system 1 shown and described hereinmay take up a fixed position relative to the surroundings. In that casethe first conveyor 2, the second conveyor 3 and the supply conveyor 5may be fixed in position relative to each other. The advantage of thisis that the comparatively heavy conveyors 2, 3 need not be moved forbeing placed in the desired position relative to each other. The movingassembly may be fixed to the surroundings or to one or more of theconveyors 2, 3, so that also the moving assembly take up a fixedposition relative to the first and/or the second conveyor 2, 3. This,too, has the advantage that the extent of movement of heavy parts isminimised.

FIG. 21 shows the first conveyor 2 with several supply and dischargeconveyors 3, 5 disposed at random positions along the spiral path of thefirst conveyor 2. In the illustrated embodiment, said supply anddischarge conveyors 3, 5 connect to the first conveyor 2 at fixedvertical levels. This also means that the moving assembly may indeedtake up a fixed position relative to the conveyors, in which case themoving assembly may comprise guides 11 that are movable with respect tothe conveyors, as described in the foregoing. Said levels might bevaried by making the supply and discharge conveyors 3, 5 adjustable forheight.

FIG. 22 shows an alternative embodiment of the conveyor system 1 forvertical transport of products. In this embodiment the first conveyor 2describes a spiral path about a vertically extending central axis. Thefirst conveyor 2 comprises two conveying elements 17 a and 17 bextending parallel to each other. The conveying element 17 b forms theinner spiral path and the conveying elements 17 a forms the outer spiralpath. The two conveying elements 17 a, 17 b each comprise their ownendless belt made up of slats which are interconnected via a chain, forexample. FIGS. 22 a and 22 b show that the two conveying elements eachhave their own upward return path as well.

Each conveying element 17 a, 17 b has at least one supply end forreceiving the product. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 22, the supplyend is located at the top of the spiral first conveyor 2. In the case ofa conveyor that conveys in upward direction, the supply end willgenerally be located at the bottom of the conveyor. The conveyingelements 17 a, 17 b also comprise a discharge end 18 a, 18 b,respectively, for discharging products. In FIG. 22 the individualconveying elements 17 a and 17 b of the first conveyor 2 convey in thesame direction at the location of the discharge ends 18 a and 18 b, butthey are positioned at different vertical levels.

FIG. 23 shows an embodiment comparable to the embodiment of FIG. 22 intop plan view, but in this case the conveyor 2 conveys products inupward direction. The inner conveying element 17 b continues further inupward direction than the outer conveying element 17 a. As a result, thedischarge end 18 b is positioned at a higher level than the dischargeend 18 a, so that products present on the conveying element 17 b aremoved to a higher level that products present on the conveying element17 a. FIG. 23 also shows parts of two subsequent conveyors 3 a and 3 b.In this embodiment a product-supporting conveying surface 6 a, 6 b ofthe first conveyor 2 may lie in substantially the same plane as aconveying surface 7 a, 7 b of the subsequent conveyors 3 a, 3 b, becausein this embodiment the subsequent conveyors join the conveying element17 end-to-end.

FIG. 24 shows an embodiment in which moving assembly is provided formoving the product from one conveying element 17 b to the otherconveying element 17 a, and vice versa. All kinds of embodiments forrealising this transfer are conceivable. The embodiment shown in thisfigure has the same characteristics as the embodiment shown in FIG. 13and described with reference thereto. FIG. 24 shows the situation inwhich the guides 11 guide products from the conveying element 17 b tothe conveying element 17 a, whilst in FIG. 25 the products are guidedfrom the conveying element 17 a to the conveying element 17 b. FIG. 26shows that the products pre-selected before being placed on theconveying elements 17 a-17 b. Once a product has landed on one of theconveying elements 17, it will remain present thereon until it reachesthe discharge end 18 associated therewith.

The guides 11 shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 may be guides that operate veryquickly and are capable of moving one product from a series of products,for example, from one conveying element to the other conveying elements.In this way a product flow can be sorted. This means that the order ofproducts at a starting point of the conveyor may be different from saidorder at an end point of said conveyor. This solution is not limited toan embodiment as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, but it may also be used withother conveyors comprising at least two parallel conveyor belts movingin the same direction.

In each of the FIGS. 22-26 the first conveyor 2 is shown to comprise twoparallel spiral conveying elements 17 a-17 b, but it stands to reasonthat said number or conveying elements may be larger. In FIG. 27, forexample, an embodiment is shown in which the spiral first conveyor 2comprises three conveying elements 17. Each of the conveying elements 17is divided into a number of parallel sub-conveying elements 21, whichextend parallel to each other between the supply end and the dischargeend 18 of the corresponding conveying element 17. This means that theconveying elements 17 leave the first conveyor 2 in pairs. In thisembodiment, the products are furthermore transferred to parallel belts19 at the discharge ends 18 of the conveying elements 17, which parallelbelts 19 extend on either side of the sub-conveying elements 21. This iseffected by means of deflectors 20, for example. This manner oftransferring products from a discharge end 18 to parallel belts 19 isusual when light and unstable products are to be conveyed.

FIG. 28 shows an alternative conveyor system in which a spiral conveyorcomprising at least one in conveyor belt 22 a as a first conveyingelement and an outer conveyor belt 22 b as a second conveying element isprovided with at least one transfer element 23 forming the movingassembly. The conveyor belt 22 a and 22 b extend parallel to each other,their conveying directions being opposed to each other in this case, butthey may also have the same conveying direction. Products present on theinner conveyor belt 22 a can be placed on the outer conveyor belt 22 b,and possibly vice versa, by means of the transfer element 13. Theembodiment shown in FIG. 28 can be used for sorting products. Theproducts enter the spiral conveyor in a specific order via the innerbelt 22 a and can subsequently be placed on the outer belt by thetransfer element 23. During said transfer, the order of the transferredproducts on the outer conveyor belt 22 can be changed in comparison withthat of the products on the inner conveyor belt 22 a by changing theposition of the inner conveyor belt 22 a relative to that of the outerconveyor belt 22 b while individual products are being transferred.During said transfer, the inner conveyor belt 22 a and the outerconveyor belt 22 b may be stationary relative to each other, but theymay also continue to run. The conveyor belts 22 a and 22 b can be drivenindependently of each other.

In practice it is advantageous to move the products from the innerconveyor belt 22 a to the outer conveyor belt 22 b when a spiralconveyor is used, because the available space increases towards theouter side of the spiral. In this way the transfer may take place withless precision and the products may be spaced closely together on theinner conveyor belt 22 a. Furthermore, the use of a spiral conveyor inthe present conveyor system has the advantage that the transfer element23 only needs to make relatively small movements to reach the productsto be transferred. The transfer element 23 may for example rotate abouta fixed axis in the centre of the spiral and translate in verticaldirection in the case of a vertically disposed spiral conveyor. In thecase of a rectilinear, parallel conveyor belts, for example, thetransfer element will have to cover larger distances. In the illustratedexample the transfer element 23 may make a helical movement, and thetransfer element may comprise a simple pusher mechanism for moving theproducts from one conveyor belt to the other. It is also conceivablethat the position of the transfer element 23 relative to the conveyorbelts 22 a and 22 b is different from that shown in FIG. 28, thetransfer element may for example be positioned between the inner and theouter conveyor belts 22 a, 22 b and move along therewith. In addition tothat, more than one transfer element may be provided. Embodiments inwhich the above features are combined are also possible, of course.

The movement in opposite directions of the inner conveyor belt 22 a tothe outer conveyor belt 22 b furthermore has the advantage that theproducts approach one another more rapidly, so that they can betransferred more rapidly, thus accelerating the entire process.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that in the conveyor system theproducts can be moved from the first conveyor 2 to the second conveyor 3by the moving assembly in spite of the different conveying directions ofthe first conveyor 2 and the second conveyor 3 and in spite of thedifferent orientations of the conveying surfaces 6 and 7, respectively,thereof.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the figures,which can be varied in several ways within the scope of the invention.It is for example possible for the moving assembly to move the productsfrom the first convey- or to the second conveyor without the productscoming into contact with the junction, for example by lifting theproducts over the junction and placing them on the second conveyor.Furthermore it is conceivable to use an embodiment wherein the firstconveyor comprises a non-spiral, upwardly transporting conveyingelement, in which case the conveyor will be an upwardly sloping conveyorbelt, for example, having discharge locations at various verticallevels, whilst a moving assembly is provided for discharging products toa second or several conveyors at said levels. Furthermore it isconceivable to use embodiments in which the various features of theabove-described embodiments are combined.

1. A conveyor system for conveying at least one product, comprising at least one first conveyor and at least one second conveyor, wherein said at least one first conveyor, is adjacent to said at least one second conveyor via a junction, wherein the conveying direction of the first conveyor near the junction is different from the conveying direction of the second conveyor near the junction as seen from above, wherein the first conveyor has a first conveying surface and the second conveyor has a second conveying surface configured to support the product thereon, wherein the first conveyor describes at least a spiral path near the junction and a central axis of the spiral first conveyor extends at least substantially in a vertical direction, and further comprising a moving assembly configured to move the product from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, wherein the moving assembly comprises a push-out guide configured to make a stroke for each product that passes.
 2. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the guide is movable with respect to the first conveyor.
 3. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the guide comprises a pushing element which is movable in the conveying direction of the second conveyor.
 4. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the guide is formed of a plate.
 5. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the moving assembly further comprises a cylinder/rod assembly operably coupled to the guide to move the guide in an outward direction of the spiral conveyor.
 6. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the conveying direction of the second conveyor near the junction comprises a radial component relative to a central axis of the spiral first conveyor.
 7. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the conveying direction of the second conveyor near the junction is tangentially oriented relative to a central axis of the spiral first conveyor.
 8. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the moving assembly comprises an actuator operably coupled to the guide to move the guide translatively, the actuator being disposed on the side of the second conveyor relative to the first conveyor.
 9. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the guide is moveable from a non-guiding position to a guiding position via a rotary movement about an axis of rotation, wherein when the guide is in the guiding position the axis of rotation is located on a side of the first conveyor that is located opposite the junction.
 10. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the guide is linearly movable in an inward direction of the spiral first conveyor.
 11. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the guide is configured such that a return stroke of the guide is different from a forward stroke of the guide.
 12. A conveyor system for conveying at least one product, comprising at least one first conveyor, and at least one second conveyor, wherein said at least one first conveyor is adjacent to said at least one second conveyor via a junction, wherein the conveying direction of the first conveyor near the junction is different from the conveying direction of the second conveyor near the junction as seen from above, wherein the first conveyor has a first conveying surface and the second conveyor has a second conveying surface configured to support the product thereon, wherein the first conveyor describes at least a spiral path near the junction and a central axis of the spiral first conveyor extends at least substantially in a vertical direction, and further comprising a moving assembly configured to move the product from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, when the moving assembly comprises a guide configured such that products are guided automatically along the guide only upon the movement of the conveying surface of the first conveyor.
 13. The conveyor system according to claim 12, wherein the guide is movable with respect to the first conveyor.
 14. The conveyor system according to claim 12, wherein the guide comprises a pushing element which is movable in the conveying direction of the second conveyor.
 15. The conveyor system according to claim 12, wherein the guide is formed of a flexible plate.
 16. The conveyor system according to claim 12, wherein the moving assembly further comprises a cylinder/rod assembly operably coupled to the guide to move the guide in an outward direction of the spiral conveyor.
 17. The conveyor system according to claim 12, wherein the conveying direction of the second conveyor near the junction comprises a radial component relative to a central axis of the spiral first conveyor.
 18. The conveyor system according to claim 12, wherein the conveying direction of the second conveyor near the junction is tangentially oriented relative to a central axis of the spiral first conveyor.
 19. The conveyor system according to claim 12, wherein the moving assembly comprises an actuator operably coupled to the guide to move the guide translatively, the actuator being disposed on the side of the second conveyor relative to the first conveyor.
 20. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the guide is moveable from a non-guiding position to a guiding position via a rotary movement about an axis of rotation, wherein when the guide is in the guiding position the axis of rotation is located on a side of the first conveyor that is located opposite the junction.
 21. The conveyor system according to claim 12, wherein the guide is linearly movable in an inward direction of the spiral first conveyor. 